The Twelve Labors of Death's Master
by lockmyhart
Summary: In which, Harry falls through the Veil at the Department of Mysteries and dear ol' Fate intervenes. Or, when Harry and Snape get razzle-dazzled to Middle-Earth to fulfill yet another prophecy. *crack!summary but promise it's worth a read!*
1. A New Prophecy, the Veil and Snape

_And... I've started a new fic! Enjoy! Just a heads up: I've got this story going on Archivesofourown and Quotev as well anonymous and cassopeiablack respectively, so if you see them, don't worry. Typically, my Archives account will get new chapters uploaded first, so look on there if you'd like!_

Chapter 1: A new Prophecy, the Veil and Snape.

" _The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord-"_

Oh, bloody hell.

 _"A world unlike his own."_

Harry could feel a pull from the words, urging him towards them, up and up and up.

"Who are you?" He called, warily.

" _Foretold_ _Master of Death, he unites_ …"

The feeling intensified and Harry could practically _feel_ the power behind the words.

"Screw you!" He tried. He could've sworn they -whoever _they_ were- were laughing at him. Laughing! _I'll show them laughing,_ Harry scowled.

Harry was not having a good day. He'd gotten that vision of Sirius being tortured by Voldemort which turned out to be a _lie_ , he'd gotten his friends _captured_ before the Order arrived, and he'd fallen through the Veil. And now? Now, he was assumedly inside the Veil, listening to _some_ cheap imitation of that dratted prophecy _._

" _His Quest to be completed…"_

Suddenly, an invisible lasso caught around him, pulling him up, and he felt himself lifting and moving and spinning, until he couldn't tell which way was forwards and his stomach felt too much like emptying itself for comfort. Then, just when he was preparing himself for the unavoidable projectile vomit he just _knew_ was coming, he started falling.

" _His mentor and Companion..."_

Down and down and he shouted "Arresto Momentum," until his voice was hoarse, but it made no difference. He opened his eyes and the floor was barely metres away and he prepared for landing-

Nothing. He opened an eye cautiously, words echoing inside his skull. He opened the other, just as carefully. Harry sat up. Immediately, vertigo hit him like a train and he doubled over groaning. He leaned over just in time to retch his breakfast, and some mildly worrying vivid red stuff- out. Now _that_ was some projectile vomiting.

He froze. A slightly-muffled groan sounded slightly to his left and down. Harry almost didn't want to look. Snape. His slightly-less-greasy-but-still-impressively-coated hair had gotten the worst of Harry's bile, but his face and robes were still splattered nicely.

Against his better judgement, Harry smiled. Snape covered in green spots always made for an amusing sight. Snape's eyes snapped open. Harry dropped the smile immediately. It was like the man had an in-built happiness monitor, that notified him whenever he was close enough to obliterate someone's hopes and self-confidence. Harry should know.

"Potter." Snape spat, glaring viciously up at Harry. _It didn't have quite the same effect when it was puke he was spitting out,_ Harry mused.

"Professor Snape!" Harry squealed. He made a mental note to dial it down a notch when the man's left eye started twitching. He couldn't have Snape dying on him yet. He still had _years_ left of petty revenge to exact on the man.

"Sorry." Harry scratched his neck bashfully. "Do you know what happened?"

Snape glared some more. Apparently, he didn't appreciate Harry's heartfelt apology. _No bother._

"Do you really think I'd been sitting here, talking to you if I knew?"

"No?" Harry cringed.

"I have a theory."

"Let me guess," Harry smiled humourlessly. "Dimensional travel?"

"No- wait, yes, how did you know?" Snape narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"I was joking. Are you all right, Professor? Did the fall give you a concussion?" Harry reached out to inspect Snape's head before Snape whacked him.

"Idiot boy! This is not a joke! Look!" Snape snatched up his wand, and snarled: "Point me, Hogwarts."

The wand waved perilously without slowing.

"Could be all part of it." Harry eyed Snape sketchily.

"Point me, Harry Potter."

The wand pointed directly to Harry.

"A fluke, maybe?" Harry tried weakly.

"Point me, Severus Snape!"

It pointed to Snape.

"Try Hermione," Harry suggested. "Just in case."

Snape grumbled something fierce before trying for Hermione. Again, the wand spiralled.

 _Damn._ Harry came to the disappointing conclusion that he was most likely in another dimension. He snapped to focus almost simultaneously. Say what you would, but Harry hadn't survived this far by joking around. He knew when to buckle down and _get_ _shit_ _done._

"Dimensional travel, you say?"

Snape eyed him curiously before shrugging. "Yes. I've been working on runes for a while now. I suspect that's what triggered the- "

"Runes? Where they related to the Veil?" Harry piped up.

"Yes," Snape scowled suspiciously. "I've been researching its possibilities for alternate dimensions- "

"Wait. Where were you?" Snape demanded.

"I just fell through the Veil."

"What? Idiot boy!" Snape cursed.

"Not on purpose! But maybe your research was triggered by that?"

"That…is not a completely unfounded conclusion," Snape acknowledged. "Your presence might've activated my rune work."

"One more thing," Harry gulped. "I heard a prophecy."

Snape raised his eyebrows. "The prophecy isn't news to me, Potter."

" _Really_?" Harry gaped. "But- never mind, it wasn't the old prophecy. It started the same, but it changed." Harry repeated what he'd heard back.

"Fated Master of Death..." Snape gazed at Harry with an undecided expression. He looked annoyed, confused, curious and fearful, all at once.

Harry resisted the urge to shudder. A new prophecy. The thought was bile-inducing and Harry really didn't have any food to spare.

"That is most certainly important, but for now, we'd best leave it. We've got other things to worry about now, Potter. Like which world we're in."

Mountains rose overhead in all directions from the valley they now stood in, shielding the pair from the harsh winds. Even so, there was a fierce chill in the air and from Snape's barely suppressed shiver, Harry could tell he wasn't the only one who thought so.

 _I know, I know, it's_ _ **super**_ _short. But it needed to be! I'm working on setting the scene with a few short chapters first before I pull out the big guns. Don't worry. I'm pretty sure this measly 900-word chapter is the shortest you'll be getting. Either way, I hope you enjoyed!_

 _I've written the next chapter already and I've started the one after, so updates should be fast for now. After the prewritten ones are up, updates will generally be on the weekend. No guarantees they'll be_ _ **every**_ _week or even every fortnight, but I'll do my best._

 _Still, remember to review and give me lots of love so I'm motivated to update even faster!_

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	2. Harry Nearly Dies (Again)

Chapter 2

Snape had sat cross-legged on the ground, pulled off his outer robes and was currently rummaging through its many hidden pockets. _Snape sure had a lot of stuff_ , Harry noted with grudging admiration, as he looked at the stockpile of shrunken items on the floor.

Harry had his wand and the clothes on his back. That was it. He eyed Snape's warm undercoat with no little amount of jealousy as he shivered relentlessly.

Annoyed, Harry looked up at the valley's high point. It was clear of all signs of life, except- wait. Harry could just make out a glimpse of vaguely humanoid figures in the distance.

"Hey, Professor," Harry managed.

"Potter." Snape acknowledged without looking up.

"There's something coming."

Snape's gaze snapped up to the faint outlines Harry was pointing at. The figures drew closer and Harry saw that they were great, hulking men.

Snape spoke quietly out of the corner of his mouth, "Don't do or say anything. We don't know if they're friendly yet."

Harry dipped his head as subtly as he dared. From Snape's expression these men weren't to be messed with.

The men had reached the top of the valley by now, and with a racing heart, Harry saw that they didn't look quite _human._ Their bodies were normal enough, although slightly large compared to most and hidden behind gruesome-looking armour, but their ears were misshapen, and their faces disfigured.

 _No,_ Harry realised with a sickening feeling, _they most certainly were not human._

The creatures drew closer until Snape held up a hand. "That's enough." He told them firmly.

The beings looked at each other and _laughed_. Then, the one at the front -for there were about two dozen in total- stepped forward and growled something in a language Harry didn't recognise.

"English, if you would." Snape tried.

The creature ignored him and began walking once more.

"Stop," Snape warned. "Or I _will_ stop you."

No response. Growling, Snape flourished his wand and half-crouched.

"Harry," Snape cautioned. "Be prepared to fight. They aren't stopping."

Harry pulled out his own wand and stood at the ready. He looked at Snape for a signal and the older man nodded after a moment's hesitation.

"Expelliarmus!" Harry roared, just as Snape flicked his wand at the supposed leader.

Harry's target, a creature standing just left of the leader took a step back involuntarily. Snape's mark's head flew off, body crumbling beneath. The other creatures looked confused for a second before snarling and starting to run at Snape and Harry.

Harry cursed under his breath and sent another disarming charm at the still-standing being. Again, the creature only took a step back. So, Expelliarmus was a no-go then. Harry growled and shot a severing charm instead. The creature's head didn't fly off in the same gory manner as the one before had but it fell over, never to rise again, nonetheless.

Harry didn't dare turn to look at Snape, but he saw another creature falling swiftly from what could only be Snape's wand. Harry sent another Diffindo off into the crowd, yelling at Snape, "Expelliarmus doesn't work on them!"

Snape grunted back, shooting a volley of hexes, as he chanced a glance at Harry. "There's too many. We won't finish them in time."

With a lurch, Harry realised he was right. The creatures were only ten or so metres away and gaining fast, and Snape wasn't cutting them down fast enough, never mind _Harry._

Steeling himself, Harry let himself slip into his duelling mode, firing off Diffindos and Reductos as fast as he could.

So focused on his task, Harry nearly didn't realise the creature stood barely a metre away, swinging his sword at him. Harry felt the steel cut into his flesh for a mere moment before Snape swung Harry out of harm's way, brandished his wand, and yelled: "Bombarda!"

The last thing Harry noticed before Snape's face blocked his line of sight was chunks of creature flying. _Good riddance,_ he thought.

"Silly child." Snape groaned, laying Harry down.

"Hah, you love me." Harry laughed weakly.

Snape looked incredulous as he pulled Harry's shirt up gently.

"Doubtful."

"What're you doing?" Harry slurred.

"Healing you," Snape answered shortly, leaning over to grab a few items from his pile from before. "Essence of Dittany." Snape continued, holding up the bottle in question. "I've found it to be a most useful thing to carry."

Harry hissed as the droplets burned his wound.

"Sorry." Snape almost did look apologetic. "But it's necessary. Unless you want to wait for this to heal naturally and give you a horrendous scar, that is."

"Nope. Got enough of those." Harry remarked, shivering lightly.

"You're cold." Snape furrowed his brow and fluttered his wand. Instantly, Harry's thin over-shirt transfigured into a thick, soft, dark-green jumper. Harry smiled in gratitude.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome," The man coughed awkwardly. "Can't have you freezing to death after all, Potter. Who else would amuse me so?"

Harry huffed out a laugh.

Snape forced a few vials of potions down his throat. Harry eyed Snape suspiciously.

"Calm down, Potter, if I wanted to kill you I would've let that creature slice off your torso. They were only a Sleeping Draught, Blood-Replenisher and Anti-scarring Solution.

"I wish I'd known about Anti-scarring Solution sooner. Sounds like a life-saver."

"It's not the easiest to come by, the brewing process is an absolute menace. It won't get rid of your scar completely, but it'll be much less noticeable."

Harry shrugged drowsily. "Good enough for me."

"Do you need anything else?"

"No. I'm good. Just sleep." Harry murmured, closing his eyes.

"Rest then. You will need it," was the last thing Harry heard before sleep overtook him.


	3. A Reluctant Teacher

Chapter 3

Snape looked at Harry disdainfully. It was clear that he'd rather be anywhere but here.

"Professor?" Harry asked, as gently as he could manage. It wouldn't do to anger the man this soon after Harry had near given the man a heart attack by almost dying.

The night had passed relatively fast for Harry who'd conked out as soon as his head hit the ground. Snape, on the other hand, was growing eyebags on top his of original eyebags.

Snape gave a long-suffering sigh. "It's becoming evident, Potter, that you are in dire need of further magical training."

Harry tried his hardest not to look offended. "Professor- "

"Hush," Snape intoned. "Last night's conflict and your close brush with death informed me that it is I that must take up this… unfortunate task."

"You're going to tutor me?" Harry could hardly believe what he was hearing and if not for Snape's pained face which rather reminded Harry of a Crucio victim's, he'd have thought he was dreaming. Or having a nightmare. Possible both.

"Yes." Snape huffed, scowling. "After all, you've only a fifth-year and considering your abominable work ethic these past few years- "

Harry stopped listening. Snape was going to tutor him. A week ago, he'd have died before accepting this, but now? He was relieved. Snape was an arsehole, that much was certain, but he was a smart arsehole. And that made all the difference.

"Thank you!" Harry practically squealed.

"I will accept nothing less than perfection of course," Snape continued as if he hadn't said anything, but Harry swore Snape's left eye twitched. "My main priority at this time will be Defence Against the Dark Arts and Potions, simply for the sake of survival, but you'll also need to learn Arithmancy, Runes and Wards, Alchemy, Wandless Magic, Healing- perhaps- "

"Arithmancy? Runes? Wards?" Harry asked, dazed.

Snape's lip curled until he was practically swallowing it but answered nonetheless. "Arithmancy is a given, boy. It's essential for brewing first- but most other subjects also. Runes are extremely useful in sticky situations- necessary for you, obviously- and Wards are a complex extension of the two. They provide permanent defence and/or offence that doesn't drain on your magic after you've infused them."

"Really? I thought Ancient Runes was only textbook work. I never saw Hermione using magic while doing that homework."

"Of course." Snape sneered but it was missing the usual bite. "Hogwarts' course is purely based on the language component. Runes is traditionally a fusion of etymology, linguistics and magic. However, the practical element is risky and in a class of 20, what Professor would possibly be able to supervise them all at once? It'd be a mess. No, witches and wizards who are interested in a career in Runes typically take an apprenticeship with an older, experienced Runes Master. There they learn the real-world uses."

"That makes sense," Harry pondered. "Professor, did you apprentice in Runes?"

Snape grimaced. "No. I took the elective at Hogwarts, studied it extensively during my Potions apprenticeship and later, Mastery- but ultimately, no."

"How come?"

"I finished my Potions mastery mere weeks before the war begun in earnest. After I joined Voldemort, there was no time for such trivial matters, and afterwards, well…given my past-"

"No one would hire a former Death Eater." Harry finished.

Snape's face darkened. "No."

"Even with Dumbledore's vouching?" Harry tried weakly.

"Enough questions, Potter. Lessons start now. Perhaps, with time and hard work, you'll reach an acceptable level of intelligence. Although that's highly unlikely considering your pea-sized mind."

Harry almost snapped back. But then he realised that Snape didn't look truly angry. No, he looked vengeful. Harry could understand that. The man had been hated for years because of mistakes he'd made in his youth.

And when you thought of it like that, Harry could certainly appreciate the man's strength. Severus Snape was brave, Harry decided. Far braver than he let on.

With that thought in mind, Harry snapped back to the conversation.

"Sounds good, Professor."

Snape eyed him oddly for a moment before giving up and sighing. "An incredibly brief crash course on Arithmancy first- for that's all we have time for considering this place's aggressive population. That will prepare you somewhat for Potions, and finally, we'll work on Defence."

Harry merely nodded.

"Arithmancy studies the magical properties of numbers," Snape began. "It has many uses, the main of which being Divination. The Divination community see this as a more accurate tool for prediction."

Snape is so much better at teaching one-on-one, Harry reflected. No shouting, less sneering, no distractions and no Slytherins to favourite. It was almost nice.

"Arithmancy can be used in the construction of wards, runes and rituals. It can change the properties of a spell, infuse them with more power, offer longevity to them- the options are endless."

Snape paused for a moment before drawing parchment, a quill and ink from a pocket that must've been extended magically- for how else would they've fit?

"Take notes," He instructed Harry, who did as instructed hastily. "Now, languages offer a different aspect to Arithmancy. Many ancient languages offer significant power to the discipline- and that's not simply restricted to human languages. Centaurs and merfolk have their own written tongues which offer different strengths and weaknesses accordingly."

"Like what?"

"Well, Arithmancy using merfolk numerals tends to be of more strength with elemental rituals around water. But you'd never use merfolk numerals in a rite about the air or fire. Earth is iffy at best."

"That's so cool."

"Indeed."

Later that evening, Harry and Snape sat around a roaring magical fire, you guessed it, studying. Snape had just finished warding their campsite while Harry moped impressively.

"I wasn't just being dramatic during the first lesson you ever had of Potions. It really is a subtle science that requires a keen eye."

"Aha! So you admit that you were being dramatic!"

Snape didn't even bother to dignify the exclamation with a reply, merely raising an eyebrow.

"Sorry, sir."

"Don't forget yourself, boy. Now, as the seasoned veteran and expert Potions Master I am- "

"Don't you mean paranoid bastard?" Harry muttered under his breath.

Snape ignored him diplomatically. "I always travel prepared. Behold."

Snape swept a hand across his stash with a grandiloquent gesture. "Shrunken, for the most part, and enchanted with unbreakable charms and the like, this is what I carry with me at all times. And you would do well to start your own collection for the same purpose."

"What do you even have there?" Harry asked curiously.

"My potion kit, consisting of Wound-cleaning Potion- "

"Hey, Madam Pomfrey used that on me once!"

"- Wideye Potion, Fire Protection Potion, Burn-healing paste, Veritaserum- "

"Slightly illegal, isn't it?"

"Pepperup, Blood-Replenisher, Calming Drought, Invigoration Draught, various ingredients, potions, bezoar, cauldron, cutting board, stirring stick, and vials. I also carry money, dragonhide gloves, amulets, a kettle- "

"A kettle?"

"If you would cease interrupting me, I might be inclined to explain."

"Sorry."

Snape hmphed, "As I was saying, on my travels I've found that a kettle is of the utmost importance."

"Huh. I never would've guessed," Harry pondered. "What do you carry amulets for? Flitwick told us they were bloody useless during second-year when everyone was buying them because of the basilisk."

"And Professor Flitwick was right, those paltry excuses for amulets were useless. However, amulets correctly enchanted? Priceless."

"I'll take your word for it. So, are you hiding any textbooks away in there? I reckon you'll need 'em for teaching."

"As a matter of fact, I do have a few textbooks with me, Potter," Snape sneered. "But I won't be needing them for my lessons."

"What!"

"Patience, Potter. I believe in a more practical approach to teaching, so I will rarely have need of them. You, however, will be studying those textbooks during your every waking minute outside of my class."

Harry gaped.

"I will not teach an utter imbecile, Potter. You are already pushing it, so I suggest you start learning like your life depends on it- because it does." Snape growled, sticking his face right in front of Harry's.

Snape smiled suddenly. Harry found that more terrifying somehow.

"Tomorrow we'll be scavenging for potion ingredients," Snape tossed Harry a book. "An annotated copy of Magical Drafts and Potions. Memorize all information concerning ingredients and their uses- found in Chapter 2."

"Now, if you wouldn't mind I'd like to sleep." With that, Snape gathered his possessions back into his cloak, transfigured a few rocks into sleeping bags and mats for both himself and Harry, flopped down on his own and closed his eyes.

Harry stared for a moment before giving up and sliding into his sleeping bag. Understanding Snape was a pipe-dream, Harry determined.

Notes:

Woohoo! 1400 words! Are you proud? I sure am.

Forgive me for any small grammatical mistakes. Pumping out chapters this fast does NOT allow for editing time.

Also, the version of this story on Archiveofourown is always a chapter ahead because it's just so much easier to navigate, so if you want to read more...

Enjoy! And as always, reviews make me more motivated to write and update faster. x


	4. Home's where the heart is -& Orcs aren't

This was quite rushed and it's hardly edited but very fast, yes? It's also the book's longest chapter yet at nearly 1800 words! Enjoy!

I've been struggling to respond to comments, so I'll just do it here:

victoria I totally agree, there should be way more Snape mentor fics. And thank you, it's good to know _someone_ finds my story funny!

iPod reader Damn, what did Harry ever do to you? True, the Dursleys did _not_ make Harry a dedicated student, but don't worry- he's going to end up hard-working and eager to learn. Snape will not accept anything less!

Ndy Yep, it's definitely short. But this one's longer, and future chapters will be too- have faith!

 **Chapter Text**

Harry woke peacefully for the first time in a while and revelled in lying there for a while more before he opened his eyes.

Snape was still sleeping thankfully when Harry rose and stretched. A tempus charm showed the time to be just after seven.

 _Magical Drafts and Potions_ lay beside Harry's sleeping bag, looking unassuming and nice. Harry did not appreciate the sentiment.

Nonetheless, he grabbed the book, opened it to Chapter 2, and readied himself for some good old rote-learning.

 _Asphodel, also known as Royal Staff, is found worldwide. Its powdered root is a potion ingredient. From the lily family, this plant has long, slender leaves. Its name comes from the Greek asphodelos. It has both magical and non-magical uses…"_

An hour later, Snape roused. He glanced at Harry who was still revising furiously, and his instinctive sneer seemed to lighten.

"The Wiggentree is guarded by which creature?"

"Bowtruckles, sir."

"Frozen Ashwinder eggs are common in which type of potions?"

"Love potions."

"Correct. Perhaps you're not an entirely hopeless case after all, boy."

Harry reckoned that from Snape, that was alike to an enthusiastic cheer. He was so growing on the old man.

"Now," Snape changed the subject abruptly. "You learnt inanimate Conjuring last year. Conjure clothes for yourself."

Grumbling, Harry brandished his wand. It took him a few tries but the cargo trousers, polo shirt, boxers, and hiking boots he ended with, were more than worth it.

"Acceptable," Snape commented.

"Gee, thanks." Harry sniped.

With a wave of his wand, Snape conjured two glasses of water and summoned a few muesli bars from his coat.

"Eat." He instructed Harry.

Harry scowled good-naturedly and obeyed the grumpy old coot. Snape scoffed his down and stood.

"Listen close, Potter," Snape demanded, grasping his wand. "Magical homes are quite different to muggle homes. I haven't built one from scratch before, but I've renovated mine quite a few times."

"Eh, there's a first time for everything." Harry shrugged.

"As I do not want the ceiling to _fall_ on us at night, Potter, I would recommend losing the attitude and paying attention!"

"Sorry, sorry," Harry cringed. "My bad. Continue."

"Now, while a Manor akin to the Malfoy's would be preferable, I don't have the time, skill nor resources for that. So, we'll settle for the basics. Master bedroom, heir bedroom- "

"Heir?"

"Yours. The heir's bedroom is the second largest in any wizarding home. Since we'll only have two, yours will be the heirs by default."

"Huh, cool."

"A bathroom for each, kitchen, potions lab, living room. That should suffice for now, and we can always add on later."

"Sounds like a plan. We'll need a yard too."

"Yes. A greenhouse for growing all our potion ingredients."

"And a garden. For growing veggies, fruits, and herbs."

"That would be your responsibility, Potter. Do you even know how to garden?"

"Yeah, actually. I looked after the Dursley's one my whole life."

"Hmph," Snape grumbled. "We'll get started now. We can even use this as a lesson."

Harry swallowed down his protest. It was fascinating after all. He'd never seen how a magical home was built.

"Temperature, Potter?"

"Cold, sir?"

"Correct. That means we build for this weather. Now, summon clay for me. I will be conjuring a brick mould."

Harry walked a few steps away and shouted, "Accio clay!"

Instantaneously, a block of clay the size of Harry's body a few times over appeared in the near distance. Within seconds, it reached Harry, who dove aside just in time to avoid being squashed.

Meanwhile, Snape had finished conjuring a large ten by ten silicone brick mould.

"Now, observe," Raising his wand, Snape sent a reddish bolt of light towards the clay. The clay exploded, flying upwards momentarily before Snape cast again, and the ground particles drifted back down to the floor into a neat pile. Snape then conjured a large cauldron and levitated the clay pile into it.

"Wow," Harry gaped. "You have got to teach me that spell!"

"The Grinding charm is its name, and it works best with raw materials. Not people." Snape glared.

Harry frowned. _Damn._

"What next, boss?"

"Conjure water, and mix the clay and water into a thick, malleable paste." Snape tossed Harry a stirring rod.

"Can't I just mix it with a spell?"

"You could. But the exercise won't hurt. You're a twig, Potter."

"Thanks, Professor," Harry replied. "I appreciate it."

"Aguamenti!" He roared, water flowing from his wand tip into the cauldron, soaking the clay particles.

Once enough water had filled the cauldron, Harry dropped the spell and started mixing with a vengeance.

Soon enough, his arm started aching. _Bloody Snape,_ Harry scowled, _I'm not a twig._

Meanwhile, Snape had felled several trees on the ridge of the valley, levitated them over, and was currently spelling them into thinner pieces of timber.

Harry was reluctantly impressed. He kept mixing, and gradually the water and clay turned into a thick paste, just like Snape had described.

"Sir!" Harry hollered. "I'm done."

"Good," Snape replied. "Now pour it into the moulds."

Harry grabbed the cauldron and lifted, preparing to do just that. It didn't budge. He strained hard… _Darn it._

Harry conjured a beaker, studiously ignoring Snape, and dipped into the cauldron. He poured the beaker-worth into the first mould, filling it right up.

Harry dipped and poured until he'd filled up the very last mould, the sun rising steadily over his head. Satisfied, he flopped onto the ground, ignoring his rumbling belly. It was nearly 11 o'clock.

He glanced over at Snape, prepared to tell him it was time for a snack, before stopping short. Snape had nearly finished the wooden framework for the house, timber beams set in place with weak Sticking charms making up the skeleton.

"Wow," Harry ogled.

Snape looked smug. "Wow, indeed."

"What next?"

"While your bricks dry, we gather and cook lunch and some more for later," Snape instructed.

"Food? Yes!" Harry cheered. "Could you conjure some steak for me? Mash would be lovely too."

"Potter, you moron, haven't you read about Gamp's Laws of Transfiguration? One does not simply conjure steak. You can enlarge it, duplicate it, improve it, but you cannot, under any circumstance, conjure it."

"Oh," Harry frowned. "Shucks. How're we going to get some then?"

Snape smiled, "Accio rabbit!"

Seconds later a rabbit came zooming from over the ridgeline, right into Snape's hand, who promptly sent a cutting charm to the neck, effectively preventing any suffering. Harry nodded his approval.

"House Magic is a severely underappreciated form of magic. Most pureblooded families ignore it due to ill-formed beliefs of it being house-elf magic, and muggleborns hardly stay long enough in the Wizarding world to learn it.

"Unfortunately, I don't have any books on the matter with me, but I do have spare parchment and a quill and sufficient knowledge to impart."

Harry caught the writing utensils thrown at him reflexively, just in time for Snape's rapid-fire lecture.

"The Camp-Cooking Charm is a lesser-known version of the standard Cooking Charm, typically best used while camping and potentially unsanitary and diseased eating wildlife. It works by purifying, scanning for and eradicating any health risks or diseases and cooking it through within seconds.",

Snape demonstrated, twitching his wand at the limp rabbit, and muttering, "Purgo Attorreo."

The rabbit seemed to quiver momentarily before the heady smell of cooked meat pilfered Harry's nostrils. His belly rumbled impressively in response, and he bent his head over his notes, diligently noting down Snape's words.

"The next spell, I will teach you is to skin the rabbit. This spell works for animals with fur, so mink, foxes, bears, beavers, squirrels, possums- "

"Squirrels? Sir, what _have_ you been eating?" Harry barked a laugh.

Snape glared fiercely. "Shut up, Potter. Now, the only other spell you'll need before eating is a surface-level food-friendly Cleaning charm. It's a hybrid of the typical 'Scourgify', pronounced 'Scourgify Edulis.'

Snape demonstrated the first spell, "Deglubo!', and then the next, "Scourgify Edulis", and conjured a knife, quartering the rabbit. The tantalizing smell of the well-cooked rabbit reached Harry, but he held strong.

Snape glanced briefly at Harry before sneering, "Oh, go on." He gestured to the food with an exasperated motion.

Harry eagerly snatched a piece of rabbit for himself, conjuring a plain plastic plate, and digging in. He sighed at the taste of it, juices dripping down his chin, as he promptly devoured his section.

Snape conjured silver cutlery and a floral blue-and-white china plate, daintily placing his piece on it, and biting into his piece. Harry choked back a laugh as he glimpsed the pleased expression on the elder's face.

"It's good, sir."

"Of course it is." Snape fired back.

"Of course." Harry agreed.

The pair finished the rest of the rabbit in good time, satisfying their bellies for the time being.

Snape stood abruptly. "Alright, Potter, it's your turn. Do as I did and then put a Stasis charm on the rabbit, so we can eat it for dinner."

Harry obeyed, summoning another a rabbit, this one larger than the last, cooking it, skinning, cleaning and casting a Stasis charm.

Snape looked on with a gentler scowl than usual. Harry took that as approval. He'd come to realise Snape's scowls represented a whole spectrum of emotions, from happy to affectionate to grumpy to murderous. _Quite impressive._

"Now, your bricks have dried," Snape waved his wand, levitating the bricks out of the mould and gently placing them on the floor. "We do not have a kiln to fire them. I don't know the inner workings of a kiln, so I couldn't hope to conjure or transfigure one appropriately.

"So we'll be using a fire pit. They stink and attract all sorts of attention we don't need, so _you_ will be practicing your shield charm over the top of it, while _I_ stoke the fire and levitate the bricks in and out as required."

"Alrighty," Harry saluted. "You're the expert."

Snape wrinkled his nose in response, raising his wand, and summoning stones and sticks for the fire pit. He pedantically arranged them to his satisfaction, set the fire alight, and gestured for Harry to start shielding.

"Protego!" Harry roared.

Snape rolled his eyes, "Potter. We needn't have bothered with the shield charm. If your shout didn't alert those with nefarious purposes, I doubt smoke would've done any better."

"Haha, very funny, Professor." Harry scoffed.

As Snape levitated the first ten or so bricks towards the fire pit, Harry allowed the shield charm to drop for the time it took them to pass through. And so, started a process which would take them the rest of the night, even with magic.

As always, reviews and favourites make me write faster! Many thanks to the lovely reviewers who inspired me to write fast and upload this tonight! x

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	5. Sheep, Sticking Charms and Zygmunt Budge

Chapter 5: Sheep, Sticking Charms and Zygmunt Budge

 _Hey lovelies, miss me?_

 _2800 words, how 'bout that?!_

 _It's officially a record from my side, and that's because I was so motivated by all your comments! Thank you so much! I've answered them below, but if you just want to get to the actual story -and who can blame you- then just skip down past the italics! :)_

 _victoria: thank you so much! Snarky Harry and an emotionally constipated -but-still-caring- Snape are my favourite, to be honest._

 _Pennieyoung: awee, thanks! I'm looking forward to writing more, so don't worry, I won't keep y'all waiting!_

 _ellainaparker: thank you!_

 _Guest: heh, so was I. Sorry for the wait, but I made it extra long, so pls forgive me?_

 _Lastly, thanks to all who favourited (22) and followed (35), love you all!_

Harry groaned.

Snape ignored him, continuing to chant underneath his breath, hands turned upwards, wand twitching in short, sharp motions.

Harry tried again, louder this time.

Snape's eye twitched involuntarily.

Harry, pleased with the result, let out a hybrid of a groan and a banshee's shriek.

Snape had a full-body spasm and turned to Harry, irate, with a shout, "Potter!"

"Sir, I'm bored." Harry whinged.

The pair had woken up barely half an hour ago, summoned and prepared yet another rabbit and eaten it for breakfast. Last night, they'd finished firing the bricks, stacked them up into position, just outside the wooden framework, and eaten the rabbit Harry had cooked, before falling into a heavy slumber, exhausted.

After eating, Snape had started casting.

Snape's hands clenched in a manner comparable to strangling. His glare convinced Harry that the strangling was most certainly meant for him.

"Potter," Snape intoned. "I am warding our house. Surely, even your infinitesimal mind could appreciate the importance of this."

"Our house. You almost sound happy there, sir." Harry smirked.

"I'm happy to have a roof over my head, Potter," Snape said sharply. "As should you. This is no joke."

Harry nodded, "Sorry, sir. Is there anything else I can do?

"Yes. First, let me explain the house's structure. The bricks have been set in place around the timber, but I've only secured the timber with a weak sticking charm, and I haven't done the bricks at all. You are going to use this opportunity for target practice, boy."

"Target practice?" Harry asked sceptically.

"Yes," Snape said. "Many capable witches and wizards have lost their lives in combat due to one common fault: their aim. Most don't bother practicing with targets and need to cast multiple spells to down an opponent- leading to their untimely demise."

Harry nodded determinedly, "So, I've got to practice my aim with sticking charms on the timber and bricks?"

"Correct. Cast the strongest sticking charms you can, otherwise they'll wear off. As it is, I'll follow, casting my own for support, as soon as I've finished the wards. I'm thinking of a 2000 square metre area."

"2000 sounds good. We can always add to it, right?"

"Correct. Any other questions?" Snape asked.

"What about after I've finished?" Harry questioned hastily.

"We'll start the insulation once you've finished. I'll demonstrate how to do it, and you can continue, while I do my round of sticking. Okay?"

Harry nodded his assent. Snape returned to pacing and incanting the perimeters for the wards.

Harry raised his wand and bellowed the incantation for the Sticking Charm.

Snape snapped his neck round fast enough to give a man neck lash and glared at him, hissing, "Quietly, boy!"

Harry chuckled quietly and saluted. One down, a few hundred left to go.

"Professor!" Harry hollered.

He'd finally finished sticking every single brick and piece of timber to its neighbours, improving his shabby aim by a mile, and Snape was off in the distance, raising the wards.

They'd been going for at least a few hours, and Harry's arms _throbbed_ with all the casting he'd been doing.

"PROFESSOR!" Harry bellowed.

No answer. Huffing, Harry prepared to scream for Snape once more, when the man in question appeared in front of him, cuffing him round the head.

"Boy," Snape hissed. " _Stop_ shouting."

Harry smiled winningly. "I finished my sticking charms. Have you finished the wards?"

Snape sniffed. "As a matter of fact, yes, I have. And since this is the perfect opportunity, I'll tell you about them. Quill and parchment out."

With a groan, Harry pulled the guilty writing utensils out of his pocket, seating himself on the floor, and holding the quill steady.

" _Salvio Hexia_ is a defensive spell which deflects hexes and mildly threatening spells. The wand hand drifts downwards while the palm of the other holds steady in the air, like so," Snape demonstrated the movement fluidly. "I used it only because I'm not sure if this world has wizards. It won't repel dark curses, but anything less should be stopped. I didn't cast _Repello Muggletum_ , the aptly named Muggle-Repelling Charm, but you should note it down anyway. When used, any muggle near our land will find themselves remembering urgent tasks and dashing away."

"Like at the Quidditch World Cup!" Harry exclaimed.

"Exactly like the Quidditch World Cup. Then, I cast _Cave inimicum_ , a protective spell that conjures a shield around a property, preventing those on the other side of the shield from hearing, smelling or seeing inside. My last charm was the Intruder Charm, which works much like a personalizing muggle burglar alarm, alerting me when anything nears the borders."

"Sir, what if someone comes needing help? They won't be able to find us because of _Cave inimicum_."

"You raise a valid point, Potter. Luckily, I did cover that. I cast an intent-based ward underneath the charms, that senses the reasons behind a person's desire to enter and informs me of them. So, if anyone at all comes near, I'll read their intent, and if their reasons are well-meant and pure, we can go retrieve them."

Harry sighed in relief. "That's good, sir. What about people with wicked intent?"

"Ah, yes. I cast a spell-set for that." Snape smirked.

"A spell-set?"

"A spell-set is basically two or more spells used together. Now, the spell-set I used is a protective one. _Protego maxima, Fianto duri,_ and _Repello inimicum_. The first spell is, as you know, a stronger Shield Charm; and the second, keeps spells 'alive' while the caster goes about life, casting other spells. The third conjures a barrier which disintegrates bodies trying to cross it and creates large explosions from spells cast at it.

"I attached the spell-set to my intent-based ward in such a way that will only trigger the spell-set if the intents sensed by the wards are to hurt or kill. Anything less, but still negative -like the desire to steal, and a simple _Protego Maxima_ and _Fianto duri_ will be triggered. No one gets hurt from those two."

"Wow," Harry ogled. "And you did that for the whole 2000 m2?"

"Yes," Snape gloated. "We finished just in time for lunch."

Harry paled, "No rabbit, please, sir! I've had enough rabbit for a life time!"

Snape looked amused. "You've had three rabbits."

"Exactly, three!" Harry's eyes widened. "Can't we just have something else?"

"And what would you suggest, Potter?" Snape drawled. "Dirt?"

"Ha-ha, very funny," Harry rolled his eyes. "No, but some beef wouldn't go amiss."

"Beef," Snape repeated.

Harry giggled nervously. "Not beef, then?"

"If we summoned a cow, we'd likely be stealing someone's."

"Not beef!" Harry exclaimed hastily. "Rabbit's fine. Once we've finished the house, maybe then we can go and buy a cow?"

"Perhaps." Snape allowed.

Harry fist-pumped the air in victory. _Score!_

"But either way, we'll be having sheep."

Harry spun wildly to stare at Snape, who was smirking happily, as unassuming as if he'd been talking about the weather.

"Sheep?"

"Sheep," Snape confirmed. He widened his eyes in a horribly fake act of concern, "Are you all right, Potter? My, my, if your memory's going already…" He trailed off.

"My memory is perfectly fine, thank you very much!" Harry exclaimed hotly.

Snape raised a dubious eyebrow. "I'm sure."

"It is!" Harry shot back, "But that's not the point. Why are we having sheep?"

"And don't twist your words this time!" Harry added, when Snape went to speak.

"We need wool to put between the brick and the wood to insulate the house. So, we'll summon a few sheep, shear them, and store the meat."

"One problem," Harry tried.

"Oh?" Snape asked, with a dangerous tone to his voice.

Harry gulped. "When we summon the sheep… what if we summon someone's sheep? I don't want to steal from people."

Snape looked slightly impressed. "I'll admit, I didn't think about that. But don't worry, I've got a solution. When you cast the spell, instead of simply saying 'Accio sheep', say 'Accio wild sheep'. That should do the trick."

"That's really smart, sir," Harry nodded along. "Huh. Should I do it then?"

At Snape's mystified look, he explained, "Should I summon the sheep, or do you want to?"

"You can," Snape snickered. "And remember to be quiet for once. We may have the wards now, but I still value my eardrums, Potter."

Harry huffed, stretched his wand arm out, and intoned gently, "Accio wild sheep!"

At once, a white blob appeared in the distance, zooming nearer with every passing second. Soon it had come close enough for Harry to make out the features of the grumpy, bleating sheep.

Snape lunged aside, snapping, "Potter, the sheep!"

Harry bemusedly glanced up at the sheep, which was quite close now and- he threw himself to the side, narrowly avoiding the sheep travelling at high-speed towards him. He jerked his wand, pulling the sheep to a slow stop next to him.

"Aha!" Harry crowed.

Snape shook the dirt out of his robes, offering Harry his nastiest glare and a, " _Potter!_ "

" _Professor!_ " Harry tried, weakly.

Snape glowered. "You almost took my head off, you bumbling, incompetent fool!"

"I missed?" Harry inhaled sharply, flinging a hand across his forehead in mock sorrow. "Woe is me!"

"You're not funny." Snape observed.

"Thanks, sir," Harry replied. "You're too kind, truly."

Snape hmphed briefly, before turning to the sheep. "Watch and learn, boy."

Harry pulled out the parchment and quill determinedly, "Ready, sir!"

"Tondeo." Snape intoned, moving his wand across the sheep's body slowly, shearing wool as he did so. He flicked his wand to pile the wool in a corner, before incanting, " _Avada Kedavra_!"

The sheep fell to the ground with the flash of green light, never to rise again. Harry gaped at Snape in shock, unbelieving that the man could such a thing.

"What?" Snape snapped, looking uncomfortably at Harry.

"You just used an Unforgiveable, that's what!" Harry yelled.

"Ah," Snape realised. He softened his voice, before explaining, "Harry, the Killing Curse isn't illegal to use on animals. In fact, it's considered quite humane. It's a quick death, accurate and painless to boot- much better than a Cutting curse or something like that. I use this spell for a merciful death, but you don't have to use it as well."

Harry nodded slowly. "Okay."

And it was okay. He understood Snape's point, although he'd never quite agree.

"Now," Snape continued, "The spell to prepare the sheep for- "

"Hey, Professor," Harry interrupted suddenly. "How are we going to have enough wool to do the entire house? We'd have to summon dozens of sheep to get enough wool."

Snape looked unimpressed. "Potter. Haven't you heard of Gemino, the duplicating charm?"

"I have actually," Harry mentioned, "But aren't copies of the original supposed to break down over time?"

Snape stopped short. He cursed under his breath and glowered at Harry. "How did _you_ know that?"

'I'm not that dumb!" Harry protested. At Snape's unmoved expression, he reluctantly admitted, "Hermione told me about it."

"Of course she did." Snape scowled. "Unfortunately for us, she is correct. The Gemino charm will be useless in this case."

"Can't we go without insulation?" Harry suggested. "Surely, we can survive with weather charms."

"They wear off, Potter," Snape snarled. "It's a waste of time and energy."

"Well, what about if you cast it like the wards?" Harry piped up. "You know, combine it with a _fianto duri_?"

Snape stared at Harry for a moment. "I may have underestimated you, Potter. You've proven to be somewhat intelligent."

Harry puffed up proudly. Coming from Snape that was as good as a hearty cheer-

Snape's "However," cut through that illusion faster than a knife through butter. "We need both Cooling and Heating charms. Not just the one."

"But, what if you attached it something? Like your intent-based ward?" Harry cheeped desperately.

Snape paused briefly. "That could potentially work. Although, the intent-based ward isn't all that specific, really, so I don't suppose it would be able to detect the finer details of a desire for weather… but if I used a localised Weather-modifying charm like in the _Book of Potions_..."

Snape pondered, his face screwed up in thought, before snapping his head up as he came to a decision, and addressing Harry, "It will work. The _Book of Potions_ by Zygmunt Budge is capable of producing a Shrivelfig plant and, when the book is rotated, the seasons change, therefore stimulating rapid growth in the plant and causing it to quickly flower. It uses a trigger- the book's rotation- which when activated, stimulates a localised Weather-modifying charm."

"Okay," Harry agreed immediately.

"We will have to attach a trigger to the Charm, much the same, and use the trigger to switch between Cooling, Heating and nothing. So, we'd have to use an object which can have three motions, and normally I'd say a book, but we have none that we aren't using…"

"What if we transfigured a clock?" Harry interrupted. "Instead of having the time written on the face, we could have the three settings. Then, we could change it by moving the hand -and we'd only need one- and it'd be easy to see, as well."

"Brilliant," Snape whispered, before realising himself and drawling, "Satisfactory, Potter. You will watch as I do this and take notes."

Harry smirked and vowed to never forget that compliment for as long as he might live.

"Charms," Snape began, "tend to basically _run out_ over time. Weather charms, sticking charms, the list goes on. However, there are ways to get around this crutch. For sticking charms, we replace them with a permanent sticking charm, which stay for years and years, even after the caster dies.

Harry dutifully noted Snape's words down.

"Unfortunately, weather charms don't have the same alternative. Although, one can simply use _Fianto duri_ , to keep the charm permanent, this doesn't allow for changes. For example, if it's too hot, one would cast a cooling charm with _fianto duri_ , but this wouldn't be of any use if it became cold.

"However, as we've discovered, if one was to cast a localised Weather-modifying charm on a house, using an object as the trigger and makeshift 'ward stone' to attach it to; then, one could change the charm from cooling to heating to off at will. A localised charm attached to an object means it's portable, as it'll consistently cover a four hundred or so square metre field. In this case, we'll use a transfigured clock, with 'Heat', 'Cool', and 'Off' written on the face of the clock, in the place of numbers, and a single hand."

Snape brandished his wand at directed it at a nearby branch, transfiguring it to an antique wall-clock. A small, golden-edged clock sat comfortably on the five-sided wooden slab, gleaming with a freshly polished sheen. Two sleek columns sat on either side of the clock, with flowering vines carved into the narrow cylinders, rose from the base; reaching the top of the clock. The top, a jutting platform, held two short columns, with a wooden step in between them, supporting a delicate wooden figure: a doe.

Before Harry could even begin to contemplate the significance of the doe, Snape was flushing a brilliant red, and snapping at Harry, "Take notes, Potter!"

'Sorry, sir!" Harry squeaked, bending his head back over the parchment.

"Once the transfiguration is complete," Snape snarled, his voice cold with contempt, "The clock should have the chosen words inscribed on the face,"

He gestured to the glowing words emblazoned in a neat cursive on the clock. "Next, attach an inactivated cooling charm to the word 'Cooling' on the clock, like so:

He snapped his wand to the clock and snarled, " _Glacio couno_!" A stream of blue flung itself towards the clock.

"Then, do the same with a heating charm. _Intepesco couno_!"

Harry watched eagerly, as a warm, reddish light shot out from Snape's wand into the clock.

"Next, is an activation spell on the clock's hand, which will trigger any waiting charm while it's resting on it. _Excitant incantatio_!"

Another stream of light sped towards the clock, whitish-grey in colour.

Harry ogled Snape and the clock equally. "Damn,"

Snape preened. Disturbed, Harry averted his eyes and asked, "How are we going to move the hand?"

Snape looked thoughtful for a moment. Then he stepped towards the clock, and hastily conjured an understated lever onto the bottom of the clock.

"There," Snape smiled briefly. "'Off' is the setting in the middle of the clock, so the lever will stay at the middle for it. Turn the lever left, and cooling will be activated; and right for heating."

Harry nodded, impressed.

"Last, is _fianto duri_ , of course." Snape sent the last spell out wordlessly, lazily flicking his wand.

"You _have_ to teach me how to cast wordlessly!" Harry exclaimed, eyeing Snape's wand jealously.

"I have to, do I?" Snape's lip twitched, betraying his stony demeanour.

Harry scowling, sticking his tongue out childishly.

Snape laughed, a rich sound, and his eyes warmed uncharacteristically. "All in due time, Harry. All in due time."

With that, the pair set about preparing a lovely lunch of sheep, cracking jokes, and engaging in an enthusiastic battle of wits.


	6. Where Snape Falls (Fixed!)

_It's been a while! I have no excuses except for this: I lost inspiration and didn't see a solid, interesting plot for the story. But now that I'm back (finally), I'd just like to make a disclaimer here:_

 _Now, I got a comment saying that nothing much was happening yet. Know this much: this story is going to be long. The plot will move slowly. Harry's going to go through a lot of character development and learning before he starts his adventures, and Snape and Harry will form a strong friendship too. If you can't be bothered to wait, then I'm sorry, but this is just the way my story's going to be. I'll try and make it more interesting, and there will be some incidents occurring before the 'big one', but ultimately, this story's a slow burn._

 _Also, since I forgot before, Harry Potter and his wonderous world all belong to JK Rowling, who's kind enough to allow the rest of us mere peasants to have our fun._

 ** _And,_** _I borrowed some of this from_ Little House on the Prairie _by Laura Ingalls. I've left text taken from there in italics._

 **HI ALL! SUPER SORRY- SOME LOVELY** **ATTENTIVE** **REVIEWERS** **COMMENTED TO LET ME KNOW THAT I MESSED UP THE FORMATTING FOR THIS - HOPEFULLY IT'S OKAY NOW. I DID CHECK IT AFTER I UPLOADED, BUT THIS HAS HAPPENED BEFORE AND IT USUALLY LOOKS NORMAL AFTR 30 MINUTES, SO I THOUGHT THIS TIME WOULD BE THE SAME. MANY APOLOGIES AGAIN!**

"Now, since we don't need insulation, we just need to vanish the timber, make a door and windows- and a roof of course. Should be easy enough. We do have to vanish the timber instead of just removing it because we hit 'em with permanent sticking charms, remember?"

Harry licked his fingers, savouring the last drops of sheep fat. They'd both stuffed themselves full of sheep meat, leaving the rest under a stasis charm for later. Harry tapped his fingers against his swollen stomach, sighing happily.

"Why, Professor, I don't think I've ever heard you say ''em' before!" Harry chuckled.

"Yes, and you won't hear it again, you bothersome clown." Snape glared fiercely.

"If you say so," Harry agreed.

"Anyway," Snape started again, "We do need some of the timber for a door, so go collect some- you can get around the permanent sticker by severing the ends."

So Harry rose to his feet, groaning quietly as his belly protested, and walked through the door-sized hole in the house's wall. One by one, he severed timber ends, leaving only shortened stumps, and levitated the timber over to where Snape was standing, hovering his wand over the wood and muttering under his breath.

Harry watched as the timber pieces welded together, smoothing out edges and becoming a whole piece. Snape levitated the wood over to the hole for the door and sliced the wood into the exact shape of the hole. Then, he fashioned metal hinges from nearby rocks and with a few more mutters, had attached them to the door and wall.

Snape stepped back, looked satisfied as Harry tested the hinges by opening and closing the door. _Snape had certainly done a good job_ , Harry appraised, as he watched the door's fluid movement.

He opened his mouth as a thought occurred. "Professor? How come we didn't just transfigure brick walls, as well?"

"Two reasons," Snape explained, "Firstly, large-scale transfiguration is especially taxing, because it requires great amounts of magical strength; and besides that, it's difficult to do well if you're not well-practised at it. One needs both skill and power to accomplish that, and I doubt even Minerva could've done that transfiguration perfectly and sustained it."

"Secondly, transfigured material isn't as structurally sound as the real stuff. So, to conclude, it's simply much better long-term to use real materials when possible. Unfortunately, I don't know any spells to create metal-hinges, so I couldn't do that."

Harry nodded. That made a lot of sense.

"And now," Snape continued, "I'll transfigure the windows and you can get more of the timber from inside for the roof, yes? We'll probably need most of it- so I guess we'll only need to vanish the stumps."

"Sounds like a plan," Harry agreed.

Harry did as told, severing almost all the timber in the house and dragging them into a pile just outside. Snape collected a few of the remaining timbers to transfigure into glass, and stood by the window-holes, calculating the dimensions. After a moment, he nodded decisively, and the timber seemed to shiver as its surface bent and rippled into glass. Another pair of metal hinges later and the first glass pane was fitted into the nearest window. Snape repeated the process with the other three windows, Harry watched patiently as he did so.

Snape admired his work and turned to Harry, saying, "I'm going to need your help here."

Harry gulped nervously.

Snape gestured to the timber pile Harry's collected. "I'm going to set up a skeleton roof with the timbers, and you are going to levitate me once I've finished, so I can check my work."

"You'd trust me with that?" Harry asked, shocked.

"No," Snape scoffed, "I'll be setting up a cushioning charm beforehand, of course."

"Oh," Harry said, relieved. "Well, that's okay then."

Snape hmphed and ignored Harry, choosing instead to fuse three timber pieces together to be there centre rod for the roof and levitate them to the top of the house. He continued to fuse pieces together and levitate them to stretch across from the centre rod to the top of the walls, spacing them half a metre apart. Then, he cast a hasty cushioning charm on the floor and gestured for Harry to levitate him, face the very picture of determination mixed with a healthy amount of fear.

Harry didn't blame him. The cushioning charm would help, of course, but if Snape fell, he'd be getting a few nasty bruises from it. Gulping nervously, Harry brushed a hand through his hair, and cast, lifting Snape to the roof. The man in question set to work immediately, carving notches into the topmost bricks and the centre rod for the timber pieces to rest in; finishing by shooting a sticking charm at them. Harry shifted him along whenever Snape gestured for him to do so, concentrating fully on the spell.

Once he'd finished one side of the house, Snape had Harry walk to the other side, while moving him along too. With a shifty feeling in his gut, Harry obeyed and started slowly walking around, and had nearly reached it- he tripped over a root and launched forward, instinctively thrusting his arms forward to break his fall.

The spell holding Snape up failed, and Snape fell, only just managing to grab the centre rod. Harry was springing up as soon as he landed, wand at the ready, and he levitated Snape again quickly.

"Sorry!" He yelled. "I tripped."

Snape scowled, and shook his head. "I noticed, you idiot. Watch where you're stepping, _Merlin_."

Harry cringed in response and carefully watching, inched forward until Snape raised his hand. Fortunately, Snape finished this side with no troubles and Harry lowered the man with no small amount of relief.

Snape scoffed at Harry, but Harry noted the man looked particularly glad to be safely stood on the ground.

"Are we nearly done?" Harry asked hopefully.

"Nearly." Snape almost smiled. "And I'll do the next part, anyway."

Harry could've kissed him.

Harry watched as Snape _split logs into thin, long slabs_. He levitated a slab up and laid it lengthways across the timber rafters, shouting for Harry to levitate him up. Once he was level with the slab, Snape pulled a nail out of _somewhere_ and took his newly transfigured hammer out, and he began to nail the slab to the rafters.

 _He carefully took the nails one by one from his pocket_ , and drove them into the slab, securing it in place. When Snape had nailed down two slabs, he gestured for Harry to drop the spell, and got up on them. He levitated more slabs up and nailed them all the way up to the centre rod.

Then, he clambered over to the other side of the house, and he laid the roof all the way up from that side, too. _A little crack was left between the two highest slabs, so Snape got another slab, and nailed it down over the centre rod._

The roof was done. There wasn't a single a crack that would let rain in.

"Where'd you learn how to do that, sir?" Harry asked keenly.

"During the war." Snape said, effectively finishing that conversation.

"Right," Harry said, awkwardly. "Well, you did a great job."

Snape pridefully remarked, "Of course. All that's left till is laying the floor."

Harry looked up at the steadily darkening sky above. "Maybe that'll be the last thing we do before dinner?" He suggested.

Snape nodded. "Study now, Potter. I can finish the floor on my own."

Harry eagerly sat back and took out _Magical Drafts and Potions._ He'd never have thought he'd see the day when he'd prefer studying potions come.

 _Snape_ _began again to haul logs. When he had hauled enough logs to make the floor, he began to split them. He split each log straight down the middle. First, with a mighty_ slash of his wand _he split the butt of the log. Then he sliced into the crack, splitting the rough wood all the way through._

 _At last, with tearing, cracking sound, the whole log split. Its two halves lay on the ground, showing the tree's pale insides and the darker streak up its middle. Then Snape wiped the sweat from his forehead, he took a fresh grip on the wand, and he tackled another log._

 _At last the final log was split, and Snape began to lay the floor. He levitated the logs into the house and he laid them one by one, flat side up. With the transfigured hammer-to-spade he scraped the ground underneath and fitted the round side of the log firmly down into it. With his wand, he trimmed away the edge of bark and cut the wood straight, so that each log fitted against the next, with hardly a crack between them._

Then with little, careful flicks he smoothed the wood, scanning along the floor to see that the surface was flat and smooth. Finally he rose and nodded.

"Perfect."

Harry who was sitting nearby eating a plate of sheep meat that he'd warmed up, offered Snape another plate.

"You took to long." Harry offered by way of explanation.

Snape took the plate with a nod of thanks and settled down. The sky was pitch dark now, owls and who knows what else hooting in the distance.

"I'll be glad to sleep in a real house tonight." Harry remarked, after a howl that sounded too much like that of a werewolf's for comfort sounded nearby.

Snape hummed in agreement. "Tomorrow, we're going potions hunting. I've put it off too long and anything else can wait until after."

"Okay," Harry found himself agreeing.


End file.
